1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a tiltable and rotatable canopy frame for a sunshade.
2. Description of the Related Art
A typical sunshade comprises a main post and a canopy frame pivotally mounted to an upper end of the main post. A canopy mounted to the canopy frame can be adjusted to a tilt angle relative to the main post for optimal shield, and typical examples include U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,509 issued on Nov. 7, 1989 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,596 issued on Jul. 9, 1991, both to Applicant of the present application. However, it is impossible to proceed with 360xc2x0 rotational adjustment of the canopy relative to the ground. Consequently, in order to obtain the best shield, the user has to manually turn the bulky and heavy base of the sunshade when the incident angle of sunlight changes. Applicant""s U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/924,705 filed on Aug. 9, 2001 discloses a tiltable and rotatable canopy frame for a sunshade, in which the canopy frame can be manually rotated to a desired angular position relative to the ground for optimal shield. Nevertheless, the operation is still inconvenient, as considerable labor is still required for manually turning the canopy frame.
An object of the present invention is to provide a tiltable and rotatable canopy frame for a sunshade to thereby allow 360xc2x0 rotational adjustment of the canopy relative to the ground. Thus, difficult movement of the base of the sunshade or the canopy frame for obtaining the best shield can be avoided. In addition, rotation of the canopy relative to the ground can be easily achieved by means of operating a handle mounted to the main post of the sunshade. In a preferred embodiment, rotation of the handle in a direction causes the canopy frame to move from a folded state to an unfolded state. Further rotation of the handle in the same direction causes the canopy frame to tilt, and still further rotation of the handle in the same direction causes the tilted canopy frame to turn relative to a longitudinal axis of the main post until an optimal shield is obtained. Operation of the handle in a reverse direction returns the canopy frame to the critical position for rotation. Further rotation of the handle in this reverse rotation returns the canopy frame to an upright position, and still further rotation of the handle in this reverse direction folds the canopy frame.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.